Hello. What can I say...I live in a college town where, despite the fact that everything is within a 1-2 mile radius, everybody drives. I want a bike. Today I put up a "Used Bike Wanted" flyer at our Outdoor Recreation Center. Hopefully I will have one soon.

Roll Tide! I went to school in T-town, too.(born there, too). Lot of good trail riding around Tuscaloosa and fire lanes through the National Forest are fun, too. Bike is a great way to get around campus and most of the town. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding a bike for sale.

Welcome to the forums and biking community Zack; it's great to see another fellow from Tuscaloosa on the boards! I was bitten by the cycling bug during nine weeks I spent in CA this summer and brought the bug back with me. I now use my Wal-Mart special Scwinn as my primary form of transportation around campus because it's much much cheaper and actually saves me alot of time getting to class. I do wish more people around here would see the benefits of using a bike, but for most students, the "coolness" factor just isn't there.

I've been researching these boards for the past 1 1/2 months and they gave me the advice and support to make my first true bike purchase. As of yesterday, I am now the proud owner of an '06 Litespeed Siena! Looking forward to doing some serious riding on her, but as far as getting around campus, I'll still be using my Schwinn. If you find a bike that you like, but want to know a bit more info about it before making your purchase, definitely use these boards as a resource; you're almost guaranteed feedback.

Hey, thanks for the replies everyone! I've never heard of the fire lanes in the forrest. Where is this? I found a cheap wal-mart bike that someone will give me, but it has a bent rim in the back, and needs new tires. I'm sure the chain needs to be replaced as well. Should I get it, or is the cost of repairs going to put me somewhere around what it'd cost to buy a used Trek or something?

Hey, thanks for the replies everyone! I've never heard of the fire lanes in the forrest. Where is this? I found a cheap wal-mart bike that someone will give me, but it has a bent rim in the back, and needs new tires. I'm sure the chain needs to be replaced as well. Should I get it, or is the cost of repairs going to put me somewhere around what it'd cost to buy a used Trek or something?

Oakmulgee Nat'l. Forest is South of town towards Centerville. Dirt roads through it; fire lanes off the dirt roads. If you go to the old downtown of Northport, then head out past Kentuck park to the airport and beyond, you'll hit more dirt roads that'll take you way out. You'll see other dirt roads with barricades on them; the land is owned or leased by the gas companies. But easy to get your bike past the bar and ride. This is repeated pretty much all around Tuscaloosa but especially Northeast going up the river towards B'ham. Oak Mountain in B'ham has some good trails, too.

You are better off buying a used Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, etc. than anything from Wal-mart. Is the bike shop just past the Strip still there? White building on the corner. Best time to get a used bike at a college town is in the spring when people are leaving/graduating. But who wants to wait that long?

Ahh, well I will have to check out those fire roads. I ended up finding a used Giant yesterday! I haven't gotten a trustworthy bike lock, so I didn't ride it to work this morning...plus it was looking like rain. Here are a few pictures:

THe only bike shop in town that I know of since Cycle Path closed is Velo City Pro Cycles.